Unseemly

/ʌnˈsiːmli/ adjective

Definition

Not appropriate or proper for a particular situation; something that looks bad or is in poor taste.

Etymology

From Old English 'un-' (not) plus 'seemly' (fitting, proper), which comes from Old Norse 'soemr' meaning 'fitting.' The word dates back to at least the 1300s and referred to anything that didn't match social expectations.

Kelly Says

The word 'seemly' is almost never used on its own anymore—it only survives in the negative 'unseemly,' which is pretty unusual for English vocabulary and shows how language naturally drops words we don't need.

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